Minor tobacco sales continue to fall

Sale of tobacco products to minors in the U.S. reached a record low of 2011 in accordance with federal and state inspection programs aimed at limiting the use of tobacco, minors, according to a report released on Thursday.

Violation rate of tobacco sales to minors at retail nationwide youth declined from 40 percent in 1997 to 8.5 percent last fiscal year, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration. Bet on the results of random, unannounced inspections carried out in the stores if they sell tobacco products to the customer under the age of 18 years.

In March, the U.S. doctor said more needs to be done to young Americans with the use of tobacco, including new bans and higher taxes on tobacco products. It was the first comprehensive look at youth tobacco use by a chief physician in almost two decades.

This point was called home in a separate report Thursday from another federal agency. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that a significant increase in the consumption of cigars and loose tobacco products offset the decline in cigarette consumption in the past year. Adult cigarette consumption fell by 2.5 percent between 2010 and 2011, while consumption of other types of tobacco smoked has increased by more than 17 percent over the same period, according to the report, which highlights the differences in the classification of taxes and tobacco products As one of the reasons for the increase.

Almost one in five high school age teenagers smoke, according to the report of the surgeon general’s office in the. The figures compared to previous decades, but the pace of decline slowed. He also said that more than 80 percent of smokers begin at age 18, and 99 percent of adult smokers in the United States beginning at age 26.

“We know that if we can stop children from smoking before they turn 18, the likelihood that they will become smokers as adults are actually very low. By reducing retail access, we reduce one of the ways that children can acquainted with tobacco and become smokers, “says Susan Marsiglia Gray, who oversees the program Synar Regulation.

The program, named after U.S. Rep. Mike Synar of Oklahoma, is a federal mandate requiring each state to document that the rate of tobacco sales to minors is not more than 20 percent of the risk of losing millions of federal funds for alcohol and other drug abuse prevention and treatment.

In the past fiscal year, 34 countries reported a violation rate of retail below 10 percent, the report said on Thursday. It was the sixth time that no state was out of compliance. Nevada reported the lowest rate at 1.1 percent, and Oregon reported the highest rate at 19.3 percent.

However, the report says that children can instead get their cigarettes and tobacco products in places other than shops and petrol stations. Recent federal data show that about 14 percent of juveniles reported buying their cigarettes in stores in 2009, compared with more than 23 percent a decade ago.

“Reduction of retail access is an important part of a comprehensive program of tobacco control, but it is only a part,” said Marsiglia Gray, adding that the state should be associated with other tobacco, such as increasing tobacco taxes, the adoption of the smoking ban and conduct anti-smoking campaign.